2024 Kia Sportage Automatic Transmission Guide

2024 Kia Sportage Automatic Transmission Guide

The 2024 Kia Sportage Automatic Transmission is a masterpiece of car engineering that combines power, economy, and the latest technology in a way that works perfectly. This new version of the Sportage changes the way you drive and builds on Kia’s history of innovation. With its advanced automatic transmission system, every shift is smooth and accurate, giving you the best performance whether you’re driving in the city or on rough terrain. The Sportage’s gearbox easily adjusts to different driving situations, making it responsive and fuel-efficient. With its clean lines and roomy cabin, the 2024 Sportage goes above and beyond what you expect from a car. The 2024 Kia Sportage Automatic Transmission will take your trip to a whole new level with its unmatched comfort and speed.

2024 Kia Sportage Specs, Price, Features, Mileage And Review

Automatic transmission (Shift Lever)

Depress the brake pedal and the unlock button when shifting.
Press the unlock button when shifting.
The shift lever can be shifted freely.

Automatic transmission opera-tion
The automatic transmission has 8 forward speeds and one reverse speed. The individual speeds are selected automatically, depending on the balance between the fuel economy and the power.

NOTICE
The first few shifts on a new vehicle, if the battery has been disconnected, may be somewhat abrupt. This is a normal condition, and the shifting sequence will adjust after shifts are cycled a few times by the TCM (Transmission Control Mod-ule) or PCM (Powertrain Control Mod-ule).

For smooth operation, depress the brake pedal when shifting from N (Neutral) to a forward or reverse gear.

WARNING

Automatic transmission

• Always check the surrounding areas near your vehicle for people, espe-cially children, before shifting a vehi-cle into D (Drive) or R (Reverse).
• Before leaving the driver’s seat, always make sure the shift lever is in the P (Park) position; then set the parking brake fully and shut the engine off. Unexpected and sudden vehicle movement can occur if these precautions are not followed in the order identified.
• Do not use the engine brake (shifting from a high gear to a lower gear) rapidly on slippery roads. The vehicle may slip causing an acci-dent.

CAUTION

• To avoid damage to your transmission, do not accelerate the engine in R (Reverse) or any forward gear position with the brakes on.
• When stopped on an incline, do not hold the vehicle stationary with engine power. Use the service brake or the parking brake.
• Do not shift from N (Neutral) or P (Park) into D (Drive), or R (Reverse) when the engine is above idle speed.

Transmission ranges

The indicator in the instrument cluster displays the shift lever position when the ignition switch or ENGINE START/STOP button is in the ON position.

P (Park)

Always come to a complete stop before shifting into P (Park). This position locks the transmission and prevents the front wheels from rotating.

WARNING

• Shifting into P (Park) while the vehicle is in motion will cause the drive wheels to lock which will cause you to lose control of the vehicle.
• Do not use the P (Park) position in place of the parking brake. Always make sure the shift lever is latched in the P (Park) position and set the parking brake fully.
• Never leave a child unattended in a vehicle.

CAUTION
The transmission may be damaged if you shift into P (Park) while the vehicle is in motion.

R (Reverse)

Use this position to drive the vehicle backwards.

CAUTION
Always come to a complete stop before shifting into or out of R (Reverse); you may damage the transmission if you shift into R while the vehicle is in motion, except as explained in “Rocking the Vehicle” on pages 5-55.

N (Neutral)

The wheels and transmission are not engaged. The vehicle will roll freely even on the slightest incline unless the parking brake or service brakes are applied.

WARNING
Do not coast with the shift lever in N (Neutral).
The engine brake will not work and lead to an accident.

CAUTION

• Always park the vehicle in “P” (Park) for safety and engage the parking brake. If left in “N” (Neutral), the vehi-cle may move and cause serious damage and injury.
• After the ignition switch or ENGINE START/STOP button has been turned off, the electronic parking brake cannot be disengaged.
• When the engine has been turned “OFF” in a vehicle equipped with EPB (Electronic Parking Brake) and the AUTO HOLD function turned on, the electronic parking brake will be engaged automatically.

D (Drive)

This is the normal forward driving position. The transmission will automatically shift through 8 8-ge sequence, providing the best fuel economy and power.
For extra power when passing another vehicle or climbing grades, depress the accelerator fully, at which time the transmission will automatically downshift to the next lower gear.

NOTICE
Always come to a complete stop before shifting into D (Drive).

Manual mode

Whether the vehicle is stationary or in motion, manual mode is selected by pushing the shift lever from the D (Drive) position into the manual gate. To return to the D (Drive) range operation, push the shift lever back into the main gate.
In manual mode, moving the shift lever backwards and forwards will allow you to make gearshifts rapidly. In contrast to a manual transmission, manual mode allows gearshifts with the accelerator pedal depressed.

• Up (+): Push the lever forward once to shift up one gear.
• Down (-): Pull the lever backwards once to shift down one gear.

NOTICE

• The driver must execute upshifts by road conditions, taking care to keep the engine speed below the red zone.
• Only the 8 forward gears can be selected. To reverse or park the vehi-cle, move the shift lever to the R (Reverse) or P (Park) position as required.
• Downshifts are made automatically when the vehicle slows down. When the vehicle stops, 1st gear is automati-cally selected.
• When the engine rpm approaches the red zone shift points are varied to upshift automatically.
• To maintain the required levels of vehicle performance and safety, the system may not execute certain gear shifts when the shift lever is operated.
• When driving on a slippery road, push the shift lever forward into the +(up) position. This causes the transmission to shift into the 2nd gear which is better for smooth driving on a slippery road. Push the shift lever to the – (down) side to shift back to the 1st gear.

Paddle shifter (if equipped)

The paddle shift function is available when the shift lever is in the D (Drive) position or the manual mode.

With the shift lever in the D position
Pull the [+] or [-] paddle shifter once to shift up or down one gear and the sys-tem changes from automatic mode to manual mode.
The paddle shifter doesn’t work at low vehi-cle speed.
To change back to automatic shift mode from manual shift mode, do one of the following:

• Pull the [+] paddle shifter for more than one second
• Move the shift lever from D (Drive) to the manual gate and return it to the D position again

The manual shift mode also changes back to automatic shift mode in one of the following situations

• When the accelerator pedal is gently depressed for more than 6 seconds while driving
• When the vehicle stops

With the shift lever in the manual mode
Pull the [+] or [-] paddle shifter once to shift up or down one gear.

NOTICE
If you pull the [+] and [-] paddle shifters at the same time, you cannot shift the gear.

Shift lock system
For your safety, the automatic transmission has a shift lock system which prevents shifting the transmission from P (Park) into R (Reverse) unless the brake pedal is depressed.
To shift the transmission from P (Park) into R (Reverse):

1. Depress and hold the brake pedal.
2. Start the engine or turn the ignition switch or ENGINE START/STOP button to the ON position.
3. Move the shift lever.

If the brake pedal is repeatedly depressed and released with the shift lever in the P (Park) position, a chattering noise near the shift lever may be heard. This is a normal condition.

WARNING
Always fully depress the brake pedal before and while shifting out of the P (Park) position into another position to avoid inadvertent motion of the vehicle which could injure persons in or around the vehicle.

2024 Kia Sportage Specs, Price, Features, Mileage And Review

Shift-lock override
If the shift lever cannot be moved from the P (Park) position into the R (Reverse) position with the brake pedal depressed, continue depressing the brake, then do the following:

1. Place the ignition switch or ENGINE START/STOP button in the LOCK/OFF position.
2. Apply the parking brake.
3. Carefully remove the knob boots covering the shift-lock release access hole.
4. Insert a tool (e.g., flathead screw-driver) into the access hole and press down on the tool.
5. Move the shift lever.
6. Remove the tool from the shift-lock override access hole then install the knob boots.
7. If the shift lever does not move even after performing this procedure, have the system inspected by an authorized Kia dealer.

Good driving practices

• Never move the shift lever from P (Park) or N (Neutral) to any other position with the accelerator pedal depressed.
• Never move the shift lever into P (Park) when the vehicle is in motion.
• Be sure the vehicle is completely stopped before you attempt to shift into R (Reverse) or D (Drive).
• Never take the vehicle out of gear and coast down a hill. This may be extremely hazardous. Always leave the vehicle in gear when moving.
• Do not “ride” the brakes. This can cause them to overheat and malfunction. Instead, when you are driving down a long hill, slow down and shift to a lower gear. When you do this, engine braking will help slow down the vehicle.
• Slow down before shifting to a lower gear. Otherwise, the lower gear may not be engaged.
• Always use the parking brake. Do not depend on placing the transmission in P (Park) to keep the vehicle from moving.
• Exercise extreme caution when driving on a slippery surface. Be espe-cially careful when braking, accelerating or shifting gears. On a slippery surface, an abrupt change in vehicle speed can cause the drive wheels to lose traction and the vehicle to go out of control.
• Optimum vehicle performance and economy are obtained by smoothly depressing and releasing the accelerator pedal.

WARNING

• When driving uphill or downhill, ensure that the gear position is set for the direction of travel: D (Drive) for forward and R (Reverse) for rearward. Driving in the opposite direction of the selected gear can cause the engine to shut off and can affect braking performance, increasing the risk of a crash.
• Always buckle-up! In a collision, an unbelted occupant is significantly more likely to be seriously injured or killed than a properly belted occupant.
• Avoid high speeds when cornering or turning.
• Do not make the quick steering wheel movements, such as sharp lane changes or fast, sharp turns.
• The risk of a rollover is greatly increased if you lose control of your vehicle at highway speeds.
• Losing control often occurs if two or more wheels drop off the roadway and the driver oversteers to reenter the roadway.
• In the event your vehicle leaves the roadway, do not steer sharply. Instead, slow down before pulling back into the travel lanes.
• Never exceed posted speed limits.

WARNING
If your vehicle becomes stuck in the snow, mud, sand, etc., then you may attempt to rock the vehicle free by moving it forward and backward. Do not attempt this procedure if people or objects are anywhere near the vehicle. During the rock-ing operation, the vehicle may suddenly move forward or backwards as it becomes unstuck, causing injury or damage to nearby people or objects.

Moving up a steep grade from a standing start
To move up a steep grade from a standing start:

• Depress the brake pedal, and shift the shift lever to D (Drive).
  Select the appropriate gear depending on load weight and steepness of the grade, and release the parking brake. Depress the accelerator gradually after releasing the service brakes.

FAQs

Useful Links

View Full PDF: 2024 Kia Sportage User Manual | Auto User Guide

2024 Kia Sportage Specs, Price, Features, Mileage And Review

2024 Kia Sportage Blind-Spot (BCA) Sensor Guide